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Interfaith Leadership in Higher Education

Recognizing the increasing importance of questions of religious identity and diversity on the national and global stage, as well as the underdevelopment of interfaith cooperation as a learning goal and practice on many college campuses, AAC&U is working in partnership with the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) to infuse considerations of religious identity within curricular and cocurricular experiences at colleges and universities to transform the presence of diversity into engaged and productive pluralism.

The Interfaith Leadership in Higher Education initiative is a partnership between AAC&U and IFYC focused on helping colleges and universities make interfaith cooperation an institutional priority and establish models for increased curricular and cocurricular experiences that enable students to navigate across deep differences in religious belief and worldview.

The multi-year initiative is supported through a transformational grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, which will fund the development of a series of institutes, workshops, and other resources that support and enhance institutional efforts to broaden, deepen, and strengthen commitments to interfaith teaching and learning.

The inaugural Institute on Teaching and Learning for Campus-wide Interfaith Excellence will be held in July 2018 at Boston University. The Institute is designed to prepare college and university leaders to transform their campuses into model environments for interfaith cooperation. Intended for administrators, faculty and staff at private colleges and universities, campuses are invited to bring teams of five people—including administrators, faculty and staff—to the Institute. If accepted, all costs will be covered including housing, travel, and tuition for the entire team. In addition, campuses will be eligible for grant support to implement their action plan back on campus. This Institute will also be held in July of 2019 and 2020.